Articles

On Occasion of Biodiversity International Day – بمناسبة يوم التنوع الحيوي العالمي

The Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ)
Biodiversity Status in the Occupied Palestinian State
On the occasion of Biodiversity International Day - 22nd May 2013

Biodiversity encompasses all biological entities that occur as an interacting system in a habitat or ecosystem, and plants constitute a very important segment of such systems. Plant biodiversity is an irreplaceable resource, providing raw materials for introduction and domestication as well as improvement programmers in agriculture and forestry.

Palestine is a treasure chest of biodiversity that hosts a large variety of plants. As part of the ‘Fertile Crescent’, it has been identified as an important center of genetic diversity for the life-sustaining crops of wheat, barley, vines, olives, onions, and pulses; all of which originate within the geographical lands of Palestine. Palestinians have used for many years and continue to use these natural resources to respond to various daily needs such as nutrition and medicine.

(ALLIUM)

Furthermore, Palestine is characterized by its unique variable ecosystems which encounter various floral associations. This location also nurtures n biological diversity, through which climatic zones, desert, steppe, Mediterranean woodland, and even oases, join one another in this compact geographical area.

Despite its small size, the occupied State of Palestine (referred to as oPt) comprises approximately 3 % of the global biodiversity (Heywood and Watson, 1995) and contains a high density of species in addition to a large number of endemic species which are only found in restricted regions and therefore harbour unique genetic information. Endemic species represent up to 5 % ( or 120species) of the total number of plants that grow in oPt, such as; caper, Palestinian sea blite, majoram, iris and fluellen (ARIJ, Flora Database,1997). The oPt also has a vast variety of wildlife, since it is home to the six main different groups of fauna; birds (427 species), mammals (92 species), reptiles (81 species), amphibians (7 species), fish (297 species), and invertebrates (30,904 species). (ARIJ- SOER, 2007). The covered forested areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, compromise 78.3 km2 (ARIJ-GIS, 2011) and 1.76 km2 respectively (ARIJ-GIS, 2006). Forests cover approximately 1.38% of the West Bank’s total area and 0.48% of the Gaza Strip. Nature reserves in West Bank, on the other hand cover 703 km2 or 12.4% of its total area. Management of Nature Reserves and Natural Parks located in “Area B” was transferred to the Palestinian Authority’s, Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) (ARIJ-GIS, 2008).

(POPPY)

According to a recent survey (2008) carried out by a specialized ARIJ team, it was found that 2,076 plant species inhabit the West Bank and Gaza Strip alone (75.5 percent of species in Mandate Palestine4), where 1,959 species in 115 families are growing in the West Bank and 1,290 species in 105 families are growing in the Gaza Strip. It is noted that of these recorded species, 117 species grow only in the Gaza Strip. These numbers were ascertained during a comprehensive study to assess the status of flora in the geographical area the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The oPt’s landscape of flowers and plants changes abruptly with its various geographical regions. The richness of the flora as a whole is partly explained by the uniqueness of the Palestinian climate, which favors great regional variations in plants - such as oak, carob, pine, pistachio, olive tree, cypress, rhamnus spina-christi, calotropis, acacia, tamarisk, eucalyptus, and other plant groups such as rockrose, iris, lily, tulip, cyclamen, crocus, bulb, orchid, and hyacinth. These are all distributed throughout the country and form a unique potential for sustainable utilization.

(CENTARI)

However, the plant genetic resources of oPt have been constantly declining over the years. Palestine’s biodiversity context offers a unique case whereby the sustainability of its natural and human systems is not only threatened endogenously - i.e., by the development process from within - but it is also impeded exogenously by the political conflict it faces. The landscape, ecosystems, and vegetation of oPt, in particular, have been subjected to multiple large scale changes. The rate of natural destruction in oPt is currently much higher with the appearance of new challenges that face biodiversity. Habitat destruction comes from a broad range of sources that include unplanned urban expansion, overgrazing, over-exploitation, deforestation and unplanned forestry activities, desertification and drought, invasive alien species and pollution. . In addition to this, Palestine’s negative political status damages its biological potential, including the division of accessible Palestinian accessible areas, land confiscation, and fragmentation of habitats mainly as a result of the Israeli Segregation Wall. These factors all serve to affect genetic exchange and, as a result, will weaken species composition in the future, thus precipitating the loss of a valuable heritage.

Of the surveyed 2,076 plant species that grow in the West Bank and Gaza, 636 are listed as ‘endangered,’ of which 90 species are ‘very rare’. It is also contended by experts that urgent conservation measures are required for more than 40 species (ARIJ-SOER, 2007). As a result, it is predicted that within the oPt , a number of species will disappear within the next ten years unless urgent measures are taken to protect, preserve, and develop their utilization.

A comparison between the floral surveys of the West Bank and Gaza over the past 20 to 40 years was carried out by a specialized ARIJ team, where it was found that 370 species have changed their status to ‘rare’ or ‘very rare’ during the last 30 years (ARIJ-SOER, 2007). Such results indicate that the plant species growing in the oPt are subjected to various pressures (listed below)which causes a reduction in number and dramatically threatens their existence. In addition, approximately 22 terrestrial animal species are under the threat of extinction. They include 5 species of mammals, 5 species of the Palestinian Herpetofauna, and 12 species of birds (PCBS, 2005). Also, 56 Mediterranean fish species (26% of the total fish fauna of the Gaza Strip) are considered under threat (Ali, M., 2002). Thus, if the root causes for such changes are going to continue, the existence of those species and others is threatened with lack of sustainability and viability over the long term.
These problems cause drastic changes and have left deep traces on the landscape, natural resources, and the area’s natural vegetation. At present there is hardly any natural, undisturbed vegetation in the oPt. In addition, such pressure on the integrity of ecosystems and stability of natural resources increases the risk of livelihood losses in addition to the historical, cultural, environmental, and economic value of Palestinian biodiversity. It is noted that these costs are difficult to quantify, or may indeed be immeasurable and irreplaceable.

(ORNITH)

In conclusion, the continued pressures on Palestine’s indigenous plants will inevitably impair the rights of future generations if sustainable utilization measures are not implemented. Longer term research is necessary to increase Palestinian knowledge concerning how human and natural systems interact. In the short term, approaches for monitoring and forecasting human impacts on Palestinian ecosystems must be developed. Criteria and indicators for social, economic, and biological components of plant ecosystems are the core of current sustainability initiatives. This is in addition to biodiversity conservation and improved management, legislation and regulation, public awareness and training, research, protection of intellectual property rights, gender roles, protection indigenous knowledge, improvement of ecotourism and international and regional co-operation and co-ordination. All of these represent important issues to be tackled in order to reach a state where the utilization and conservation of Palestinian biological resources are well shared and protected within the local society.

Author Biography: Roubina Bassous, Ghattas is the Head of Biodiversity and Food Security Department at the Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ), graduated from Birmingham University, United Kingdom, with an MSc degree in the “Utilization and Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources.